My friend Rosey had the great idea to annotate a copy of Hollywood Homicide for a giveaway. I thought I’d take it one step further and share some insights in a blog post as well. (And I’m not just doing this because my handwriting is atrocious!)
Here’s some “insider info” on the first five chapters.
Warning: This does contain slight spoilers if you haven’t already read these chapters. It doesn’t ruin anything beyond these chapters though. I hope.
Cover:
It was created by an amazing artist named Richard Meril. You can see more of his work on his Instagram page.
Title Page:
Hollywood Homicide is actually my third title. It started off as IOU (and there’s still a heavy acronym theme throughout the book.) My agent suggested we change it. A friend came up with using Day in the title. Second title was Pay Day. However, my publisher changed it again to give a better sense of the world of the book.
As you see, the day theme lives on with the series title: Detective by Day.
Chapter 1:
This wasn’t my original opening. Day’s still interviewing for a job but it was for a temporary corporate gig. My agent, Michelle, suggested changing it. This was is so much funnier.
Page 3: “I’m a six.” If it was really, really, really, really, really stretchy.
When I was at Vibe, a certain A-list diva’s stylist used the “if it’s stretchy” line when discussing clothing options for a cover. I knew I had to use that somewhere.
Page 4: Day’s Backstory
Day’s backstory was inspired by someone I knew when I first moved to LA. This person had a cushy gig as a spokesperson for a well-known store franchise. The role called for the person to act a bit of a fool in the commercials. But when finished acting a fool, they sure drove off in their fancy luxury car to their fancy luxury apartment.
Page 5: Day’s no curse rule.
I curse so much I consider it a hobby, so Day not cursing is always really hard for me to write. I have her use the word Fudge a lot but it’s not the same thing!
Chapter 2:
Page 9: The Flashback
This was originally a prologue but my lovely mentor, Sarah Henning, suggested we change it during Pitch Wars. Like the opening, I think it’s so much better here.
Page 15: NorthWest and Foreclosure
I actually didn’t name the loss mitigation firm after Kim and Kanye’s daughter.
The backstory with the parents was mentioned in passing in initial drafts but wasn’t a major part of the story. We changed it after my agent came aboard. Not to sound like a broken record but it was another note that made the story stronger.
Chapter 3:
Page 27: She’d read that the stylist for singer/rapper Kandy Wrapper always took pics of her client to ensure her outfits looked good in photos.
I, too, read about a stylist doing this. This is probably our first hint at Sienna’s intense desire to be famous, which is a prominent subplot in the book.
Page 27: Sienna’s Description.
I’ve always pictured Sienna looking a bit like Jessica Szohr.
Chapter 4
Page 31: Aubrey’s Introduction
He’s the only character that I didn’t have a celeb in mind when I was writing how he looked. I still don’t. (Any ideas?)
His outfit, however, is based on a friend’s roommate. He used to bike at night so he would wear one.
Page 39: Emme’s Backstory
Emme and Sienna were actually one character. When I split them off, Emme’s backstory came from one simple question: What would happen if one of the Olsen twins quit acting right after Full House ended?
Chapter 5:
Page 42: Emme’s Necklace
I got this idea from my mom. She “repurposed” a few of her favorite pieces of jewelry into new and improved necklaces.
Page 43: Stephanie Dimsey
That is my subtle shout-out to two members of my Writers’ Group (and two of my best friends): Stephanie Dodson and Mocumba Dimsey.
If you want to keep reading, you can find the annotated guide to chapters 6 through 10.
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